Classification of Living Organisms Lecture

Flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture on classification of living organisms, including kingdoms, taxonomy, plant and animal groups, and distinguishing characteristics.

What are the five major kingdoms of living organisms?

Animals, Plants, Bacteria (Prokaryotes), Fungi, and Protoctists.

What cellular feature distinguishes eukaryotes from prokaryotes?

Eukaryotes possess a true nucleus; prokaryotes do not.

List the key characteristics of organisms in the Animal kingdom.

Multicellular, eukaryotic, no cell wall or chloroplasts, ingest solid food for digestion.

List the key characteristics of organisms in the Plant kingdom.

Multicellular, eukaryotic, cellulose cell wall, chloroplasts, photosynthetic.

Describe the main cellular features of Bacteria.

Unicellular, no nucleus (prokaryotic), cell wall, may have capsule, pili, flagella, nucleoid.

Describe the structure and nutrition of fungi.

Body of thread-like hyphae, chitin cell walls; secrete enzymes onto food and absorb digested nutrients.

State two general characteristics of Protoctists (protists).

Mostly unicellular, eukaryotic; some photosynthesise while others ingest and digest food.

Arrange the taxonomic levels from broadest to most specific.

Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

Who created the binomial system of nomenclature?

Carl Linnaeus, Swedish biologist.

In binomial nomenclature, what do the two names represent and how are they written?

First name is the Genus (capitalized); second is the species (lowercase).

Provide an example of a scientific name using binomial nomenclature.

Homo sapiens.

Name the three basic characteristics shared by all arthropods.

Exoskeleton of chitin, segmented body, jointed appendages.

Into which four major groups are arthropods divided?

Insects, Crustaceans, Myriapods, and Arachnids.

Identify four key features of insects.

Six legs, body divided into head-thorax-abdomen, one pair of antennae, usually wings/compound eyes.

Identify four key features of crustaceans.

Eight or ten legs, body with cephalothorax and abdomen, two pairs of antennae, hard calcified shell.

Identify four key features of myriapods.

Many segments each with 1–2 pairs of legs, one pair antennae, possible poison claws.

Identify three key features of arachnids.

Four pairs of legs, body divided into cephalothorax and abdomen, no antennae.

List five defining characteristics of amphibians.

Smooth moist skin, four legs, visible ears/eardrum, jelly-like eggs in water, gilled young & lung/skin-breathing adults.

List five defining characteristics of reptiles.

Rough scaly skin, four legs, internal eardrum, soft waterproof-shelled eggs, mostly terrestrial.

List five defining characteristics of birds.

Feathers, two legs + two wings, ear openings to eardrums, hard-shelled eggs on land, beak.

List six defining characteristics of mammals.

Hair/fur, four limbs, external pinna, give live birth, females have mammary glands, four types of teeth.

Give six distinguishing features of monocot plants.

One cotyledon, flower parts in 3s, parallel veins, long narrow leaves, fibrous roots, scattered vascular bundles.

Give six distinguishing features of dicot plants.

Two cotyledons, flower parts in 4s or 5s, netlike veins, broad leaves, taproot, vascular bundles in a ring.

What are hyphae in fungi?

Thread-like structures made of many cells that form the fungal body.

How do fungi obtain nutrients?

By secreting digestive enzymes onto food and absorbing the digested material.

What protective layer can surround a bacterial cell wall?

A capsule.

What structure provides motility in some bacteria?

Flagella.

Give two examples of protoctists.

Amoeba and Euglena.

Give four examples of fungi.

Mushroom, mould fungus, yeast, and toadstool.

What are cotyledons?

Seed leaves found in the embryo of flowering plants.